How to prepare for the 2011 PHS

Note: Review these tips on Hurricane Week (May 15-21)

1. Keep a Hurricane Preparedness Kit packed (see "Things You'll Need"). This assures that you will lessen the amount of things you'll have to do when the time comes. Also, items such as batteries are easier to find when everyone else isn't panicking. As a bonus, if any other event, such as a fire occurs, you'll be prepared for that as well.
2. 
   
   Create a "take box". The take box should have everything you need to reconstruct your life in the event you evacuate and everything is lost. Passports; birth, wedding, adoption, divorce, and armed service separation certificates; copies of insurance policies; mortgage information; house and car title; large purchase receipts. You get the idea. If you have a scanner, save yourself space and heartbreak by scanning family albums and images of other keepsakes, burn those to CD and keep a copy in your take box, or make a copy of all your pictures, videos, music and documents on a external hard drive that you can keep in your take box. But remember that CD's can malfunction. Make sure you take along the original documents, if possible, make copies of them. The CD is just for convenience when shown to officials.
3. 
   
   Discuss and practice a disaster plan with your family.  Make sure everyone in the family knows who to contact (and how to contact them) as an out of area contact. Make sure kids know enough information so that an adult can get in touch with that person should sudden evacuation be necessary when you aren't near them. Practice this, and make other back up plans. This can be as involved as you like, but keep in mind the ages and temperaments of individuals to assure everything runs smoothly in the event you have to evacuate immediately.
4. 
   
   Learn how to turn off the gas and power to your home and make sure that all tools needed for the job are easily accessible. If you're not sure, speak with the gas or electric company for instructions. You don't want to be running around at the last minute trying to figure out how to do these things.
5. 
   
   Ensure that insurance matters are kept up to date. Hurricane season is not the time to buy flood insurance since it's either unavailable or very very very very very very very expensive.  Note: most regular home insurance does not include flood coverage in the policy, so you'll have to buy this separately.
6. 
   
   Keep in touch with friends and family that are out of the potential disaster area, and make arrangements to stay with them, in case you have to evacuate.
7. 
   
   Have someone remove dead trees and dead tree limbs and evaluate the health of any trees near enough to fall on your (or your neighbor's) house.
8.                                                                                                                                                            Check this blog regularly. Very important information. If you can't check one fo th elink listed blew the titles.  Chances are that this blog will give you the info you need.

Now, we'll announce the dates for hurricane preparedness week
May 15-Introduction. What is the EPAC all about? How to read a surface chart?
May 16-Hurricane Preparedness
May 17-Hurricane Preparedness, cont
May 18-Hurricane Forecast
May 19-Hurricane Names and other data sources
May 20-Hurricane Damage
May 21-Hurricane History

Note:these dates are subject to change